This Football-Playing Homecoming Queen Is Your New Hero

South Jones High School's Mary Kate Smith has the kind of bragging rights not many seniors have: not only was she crowned homecoming queen, but next week, she'll take to the football field to play in the school's annual homecoming game.

The 17-year-old is the first female to make her school's varsity football squad. Oh, and this is her first year playing the game. She's also a soccer star—which is how she was convinced to try out for the kicker position they'd been trying to fill last summer. The rest is history: "It just turned out to be a blue-eyed, homecoming-queen soccer player," said her football coach, Corey Reynolds. Smith has been playing soccer since she was three, and thought about trying out for the football team during her junior year, but decided she didn't have the time.

Sure, there's some good-natured ribbing when it comes to guys vs. lone girl on the field—"I always pick on [the boys] when we're running sprints and say, "You'd better not let a girl beat you,'" Reynolds said. But Smith doesn't care. "I love it," she said. "It's a competition, so I completely know where all of that is coming from. I love winning. I hate losing. I love competing out there and joking about it afterwards. It's a great atmosphere."

Calling her "one of the most highly competitive athletes—male or female—I've seen," Reynolds said, "When she's out there, she's been like one of the guys. It's not like, 'Ooh, we have a girl.'" Which is exactly how it should be—clearly, girls can play "boys'" sports just as well as the guys. And, if kicking #likeagirl means nailing 40-yard field goals in practice, that seems like a total compliment. We're sure Smith takes it as one.